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Most individuals, both here and overseas, know nothing whatsoever about the existence of the foreign credential evaluation service. In fact, it is that agency which does the very important work of determining the equivalency of various international accreditations according to our own educational standards. This is necessary for purposes of immigration rulings, licensing approvals, admissions to advanced higher-education programs, and so forth.

Even though it is a little-known area of expertise, foreign credentials evaluation is increasing by leaps and bounds and has seen many changes in the last 30 years. At first, American institutions evaluated equivalency by simply looking at how long an individual had taken classes in his or her own country. This was used to determine the amount of education a pupil would have received in a similar period here. That approach did not result in a very accurate representation of a student's educational level.

Very little consideration was given to the education studied each year. In many countries the students attend class almost twice as many hours or more as students in the US. Methods of evaluating foriegn education credentials have become more complex over the years and what was once a fairly black and white field has become colored in shades of gray.

Originally, the task of such evaluation was left up to the U.S. Education Department through the Foreign Credential Evaluation Service. Between 1966 and 1969 however, the FCES was shortened, and finally terminated in 1970. Unlike many other foreign countries, there are no national government standards for assessing foreign educational credentials in the United States.

After 1970, foreign credential evaluations started being done primarily by private credential evaluation firms or by staff at colleges and universities. Nationwide standards for reviewing foreign educational credentials have developed mainly from placement suggestions provided by the Council, but this is not a government-sponsored agency and their advice is non-binding. Worldwide standards are also given by UNESCO, and although these are oftentimes legally binding, they are occasionally ignored.

Since the Council has been in existence since 1955, many institutions and agencies in the United States respect their guidelines. Although, colleges and universities have their developed their own assessment policies, many of them are still at least loosely derived from the Council's guidelines. Additionally, the Council plays a leading role in the areas of immigration and employment. While the UNESO's recommendations would be hypothesized by most to hold more official weight since they are legally binding, many agencies still do not look to them for guidance.